Thirteen years have passed since Spawn of Possession‘s sad disbanding, and now we behold the ultimate rebirth of modern tech death metal under the banner of Retromorphosis.

The album begins with a short instrumental intro, “Obscure Exordium”, revealing the intricate work of the guitars and drums. The brooding synth adds an even atmospheric feel until the next song, “Vanished” when the drums hit between fast and mid-paced sections. The instrumental arrangements are flawlessly played, and the quality can be expected from such veterans. Musically, the debut is focused on the skills of the individuals but nothing groundbreaking here.

Even though I expected something more in the vein of old-school tech death metal, Retromorphosis pulls you in a loophole of twisted riffs and there are loads of brutal riffing going in “Aunt Christie’s Will”.

The massive chunk of riff formula and melodies is conveyed flawlessly; delivering a mastery in a riffing technique is disguised into a new gnarly direction. With a bass that could shake the floor, suited to work with the drilling drums; the guitar department showed its ability to deliver chunky grooves through the labyrinth of monstrous drumming.

“Psalmus Mortis” varies with many tempos and riffing patterns I could not imagine the musical manifestation to shine without the spiraling riffs and the cosmic orchestral work that keeps the music entertaining through the perfect drum pace and the dueling guitars that seemingly ventures into ferocity and suspense.

Each time the synth is used, it creates some orchestral and bombastic sections that recall the band Nocturnus AD. The drumming performance is outstanding, resulting in extremely brutal fast tempos in the song “Never to Awake”. However, this kind of style would be recommended for fans of Archspire, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and Gorguts, because Retromorphosis utilizes plenty of melodies, and leads that seemingly feel catchy, and the orchestral passages in the album create a texture for the ear.

It’s another highlight in the album that presents the complexity and fluidity that make the music uncanny and twisted. The tempos are fast and mechanized to perfection with the precise drum shifts, Retromorphosis’ formula imposes an aggressive and brutal foray into the sonic dimension.

The vocals spew guttural disgust and effortlessly the drums deliver blast beats in the track “The Tree”, it’s a mind-bending technical style of death metal but may not reach the insane levels of Defeated Sanity or Suffocation.

Many tech death metal contemporaries have a similar take on this style even from the songwriting prospect, Retromorphosis may have freshened up its approach. The drums mostly steal the show and that’s due to the jazzy and technical perspective and the effective use of elements in the song “Retromorphosis” drenches in the sea of reverb, the orchestration passage stimulates cosmic creepiness and the guitars pummel out a thick layer of riffs with the rhythm guitar triggering unmeasurable quality and sounding jazzy and complex.

The nearly ten-minute track “Machine” is atmospheric: Retromorphosis has mastered its craft, and the riffs pound out extreme technical riffs that fit the nature of the song. The musical depth manifests in many ways from the neoclassical orchestration, and blistering lead guitar and solos crafted within the layered instruments.

However, the album’s production undermines the effect of the drums, this is why the songs sound tedious. The modern direction and the production are everything you would expect from these veterans, but this isn’t quite satisfying and becomes bloated by many ideas, the main issue is that the riffs don’t feel genuine somehow.

“Exalted Splendour” starts its way through the drums kicking into a high gear, and riffs whirling through chunky aggression and volatile blast beats, every drumming pace is dexterously played, and the song is overwhelmingly brutal and unsettling.

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